]]>The Portland Trail Blazers are in town for a 7:30 p.m. tip on TSN. It should be a really fun game, with a pair of high-end backcourts squaring off, friends visiting, and the ACC looking to lock down a franchise-record 12th victory in a row for the home side.

Backcourt battleShort of the Splash Brothers, it’s tough to think of two guard combos playing at a higher offensive level right now than Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

“It’s always fun,” DeRozan said at shootaround Friday. “Having a backcourt, whatever you wanna call it. It’s definitely fun to go out and compete with guys that are playing at a high level.”

Head coach Dwane Casey spoke about the Blazers’ duo, too, and without knowing otherwise, this quote could just as well be about the Raptors’ pair.

Both of them are a good fit, they have no egos, they play well together. They’re unselfish, they will make the play if a play presents itself. I don’t think their ball-dominant. Their scorers, both of them are stone-cold scorers, but they will make a play and make a pass if it presents itself.

Return of The BossEd Davis, who was a Toronto Raptors lottery pick in 2010 and played 176 games with the franchise over two-and-a-half seasons, returns to Toronto as a key part of the Blazers’ frontcourt rotation. He’s really found his place in the league since landing in Portland.

Here’s DeRozan on his former teammate:

It’s just a matter of finding his spot. He’s gonna do what he knows how to do, he’s never going to step out of his lane. He’s going to go out there and play extremely hard for you, rebound, block shots, and find his niche. I think he learned that being on a couple teams now. He’s one of those guys that’s a veteran now and definitely a professional, understanding his role on the team.

DeRozan and Davis, by the way, are long-time close friends. Best friends, even. Sorry Lowry, but here’s DeRozan again:

What more can I say? He’s the Godfather of my daughter. That says a lot. He’s probably one of my closest friend, probably hands down my best friend I’ve had since we was young. Way before we even though about going to the NBA.

Camps. Nike camps, coming up. We was McDonald’s All-American together. Playing in Jordan Brand games. Everything you can think of in the summer, we was always together, and we always had that great chemistry.

Davis is averaging 6.5 points and 7.4 rebounds for Portland this season while shooting 60.8 percent from the floor. The 33-29 Blazers are also one point per-100 possessions better with Davis on the floor, and he’s the only big who’s proven reliable on the defensive end when paired with Meyers Leonard.

Another real friend
DeRozan is also very close with Lillard, adding yet another fun layer to Friday’s game. They share a trainer and an agent and work out together in the summers, but sadly, when I asked if DeRozan may appear on a Dame Dolla track at some point, he offered a firm “No.”

Roster updates
The Raptors recalled their D-League detachment so they’ll only be without DeMarre Carroll. The Blazers, meanwhile, are entirely healthy, as Al-Farouq Aminu’s bruised hand from Wednesday isn’t believed to be a big deal. The rotations will line up something like this, then:

UPDATE: Norman Powell is starting at the two and sliding DeRozan to the three. My guess is that the Raptors didn’t want to ask DeRozan with chasing McCollum, and Johnson has played poorly since returning from injury while playing through a minor foot issue. Powell, meanwhile, is coming off of a 36-12-6 performance with the 905 on Thursday and has played solid defense when called upon at the NBA level.

The line
The Raptors are six-point favorites, up a shade from a Raptors -5 opening line. The over-under has also fallen to 207.5 from 208.5, as predicted. Raptors 105, Blazers 101.

But don’t be fat and sassy
Asked about players like Lillard playing mad during his pregame media availability, Casey offered this warning:

Dwane Casey on playing angry: “I like players being mad…Teams that are happy and fat and sassy and full of themselves lose.”

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2016/03/04/pre-game-news-notes-blazers-raptors-march-4/feed/1Toronto Raptors Draft History Over Last Decade (With Hindsight)http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2014/06/25/toronto-raptors-draft-history-last-decade-hindsight/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2014/06/25/toronto-raptors-draft-history-last-decade-hindsight/#commentsWed, 25 Jun 2014 12:45:25 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=45360With the benefit of hindsight, we look across the decade to the Raptors and how the've fared at drafting.

2003 DraftRaptors Pick: Chris Bosh (4), Remon Van de Hare (52)Controversy: Very little.Summary: The top three picks were set in stone from the outset and there was little debate at the time that James, Milicic (LOL) and Anthony would go top three. The fourth pick was between Bosh and Wade, and given the Raptors need at the time, they drafted thinking of position. As for Van de Hare, historians recall his “highlight” video having a clip where he hit the side of the backboard on an open corner three. Raptor fans with strong memory may recall Voshon Lenard winning us needless games that season, potentially costing a shot at LeBron James.At-the-time grade: AHindsight grade: B

2004 DraftRaptors Pick: Rafael Araujo (8), Albert Miralles (39)Controversy: Tons.
Summary: We picked him ahead of Andre Iguodala. It took TNT a couple minutes to even pull up his highlights and it took Raptors fans a decade to forget about him. We talked about the Fat All-Stars on the pod this week, and Araujo was a card-carrying member and a first-ballot Hall of Famer in that regard. The Heat acquired Miralles’s rights in exchange for Pape Sow (47th pick).At-the-time grade: FHindsight grade: F

2005 DraftRaptors Pick: Charlie Villanueva (7), Joey Graham (16), Roko Ukic (41), Uros Slokar (56)Controversy: Grangergate.Summary: Fans wanted Gerald Green at the time, and though the swingman has resurrected his NBA careers despite being short a finger on his shooting hand, Babcock needs to be given credit for picking Villanueva who had the better early career. The bouts of laziness and zero-defense not withstanding, he was a half-decent offensive player. On the other hand, he picked Joey Graham over Danny Granger, who had rumours of some foot issues swirling. However, Larry Bird had told Granger that if he was available at 16, he’d take him and he did. Granger turned out to be an All-Star and Joey Graham turned out to be a very low-IQ player. Ukic couldn’t shoot and the experiment of him and Will Solomon as second and third string point guards was the lowest point in Raptors PG history.At-the-time grade: DHindsight grade: B

2006 DraftRaptors Pick: Andrea Bargnani (1), P.J Tucker (35)Controversy: None, really, but tons of hindsight.Summary: A year with no consensus #1 pick, the Raptors had decided upon Bargnani months before the draft. It’s easy to put on the hindsight hat and think that LaMarcus Aldridge was the right choice at the time. The same people should also realize that Adam Morrison was hyped just as much. The problem with Bargnani wasn’t that he was drafted, it was that he was kept far too long. P.J Tucker looked to be a serviceable player, and flirted with the idea of sticking around the NBA as the 10th man on a roster until he got some actual meaningful playing time and people realized that he’s not very good.At-the-time grade: BHindsight grade: F

2007 Draft: No Pick

2008 DraftRaptors Pick: Roy Hibbert (17) Traded to Indiana, Nathan Jawai (41, via Indiana)Controversy: Like, maybe, keep the pick?Summary: The Raptors picked the best player past #5 at #17 in Roy Hibbert and promptly traded him to Indiana in the Jermaine O’Neal deal with T.J Ford, marking the second year in a row where they did not draft a player to play. Hibbert turned out to be a solid player whereas the O’Neal experiment imploded quickly. Perhaps the Raptors thought there wasn’t any need to draft a big man with Bargnani on board, but the O’Neal acquisition contradicted that hypothetical approach. Nathan Jawai was the sixth man of the year for the fat All-Stars, and these days he plys his trade in Turkey for Galatasaray.At-the-time grade: CHindsight grade: F

2009 DraftRaptors Pick: DeMar DeRozan (9)Controversy: NoneSummary: The Raptors dodged the Brandon Jennings bullet and selected DeRozan, a player that brought some much-needed athleticism to the roster at the time, and has turned out to be an All-Star.At-the-time grade: BHindsight grade: A

2010 DraftRaptors Pick: Ed Davis (13)Controversy: NoneSummary: In a relatively weak draft, Raptors fan had low expectations from a pick edging the lottery and Ed Davis’s yield didn’t disappoint or pleasantly surprise. He was a serviceable backup and developed a moderately effective offensive game for a backup before he was shipped off to Memphis where he now frequently appears on the back of milk cartons. Kind of missed out on Larry Sanders (15).At-the-time grade: BHindsight grade: C

2011 DraftRaptors Pick: Jonas Valanciunas (5)Controversy: Kemba!Summary: Valanciunas has proved himself to be a worthy fifth pick, especially considering who followed him: Jan Vesely, Bismack Biyombo, Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, and Jimmer Fredette. Lot of fans wanted the Raptors to select Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker, given the point guard situation (Jose Calderon) at the time. Walker showed something tempting last season, but Valanciunas remains a very good selection, even in hindsight. Missed out on Klay Thompson (11), Kawhi Leonard (15).At-the-time grade: CHindsight grade: A

2012 DraftRaptors Pick: Terrence Ross (8)Controversy: But what about Drummond?Summary: The Raptors reached for Ross who wasn’t in the lottery in most projections. Harrison Barnes being taken the pick before had fans lamenting the ill-fated coin toss and those meaningless wins at the send of the season. Salt was poured on the wounds when Drummond was passed up presumably due to Valanciunas already being on the roster. Ross has redeemed himself to a degree, but Drummond (taken immediately after) still remains a regret, no matter what the center situation was.At-the-time grade: DHindsight grade: B

Certain events make you perk up and take notice at the goings-on of a winning team. New York, a team flush with talent, who found a gem keeping the pine warm, with quality talent from 1 through 10, who only needed to change the voice on the bench to get back to playing basketball worthy of a playoff team are relevant for the second time in the same season.

After running D’Antoni out of town, Carmelo has decided (or rather was forced) to play with pride and conviction; not taking any possessions off. Not a great deal has changed with Woodson taking the helm, except the prima-donna winning the power struggle and realizing there are no more excuses; ladies and gentlemen, I present you the Knicks.

After getting their assess handed to them on Wednesday, the Raptors have a chance at restitution on their home-court to bring the season series even at two a piece.

Areas of focus:

Need to be aggressive defending that high pick-and-roll against Lin and Stoudemire. Calderon, who played a staggering 40 minutes on his first game back from injury, is going to have a hell of a time keeping Lin under wraps. With Bayless potentially out (or playing injured), he’s going to be called on for heavy minutes again, and needs to really make Lin work for everything. He’s going to need to fight through screens aggressively, and hope he gets some help on the hedge from Bargnani or Gray (or Amir or Davis). He can get some back on offense, by forcing boy wonder to contend and play on his heals.

Defensive rotations need to be tight, and smooth. Far too often, when Stoudemire went at Bargnani, the other big would rotate, and no one would pick up Chandler who licked his lips at being open under the rim.

The Knicks are 10 deep, meaning they have 5-guys who can come in, and change the complexion of the game; especially on the wing where the Raptors haven’t been so weak in recent memory. Again, if Bayless is playing, it changes things for the Raptors, but a bench rotation of Forbes, Kleiza and Butler makes me hate basketball something fierce.

Q: You know what I loved about DeRozan on Wednesday against the Bulls? A: He curled off that high screen, caught the pass, and kept going to the rack; on multiple plays. This is the kind of Rip Hamilton basketball I love seeing from shooting guards. His 17 against the Knicks was so utterly ineffectual, it has Arse dropping giving his life-sized DeRozan blowup doll the camel clutch in rage. Lets see him attack the Knick defense in the paint more than five-times tonight.

Protect the glass; I mean seriously. We have four forwards, who are tall, mobile and athletic (Gray not so much), and the Knicks dominated the offensive glass 16-4. For those who were counting, that translated in exactly 12 more possession…Raptors lost by 19, you do the math.

Where the hell is Bargnani? I realize he missed a ton of games via injury, but in the eight games since his return, he’s averaging 12.5pts 4.8rebs 2.1ast on 33.7% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc. This is unacceptable, and leads me to believe that he’s either not fully recovered from his injury, or has reverted to his limp noodle ways.

The Knicks are 5.5 point favourites tonight, and if Bayless isn’t ready to go, it’s going to take a full-team, full-48 effort to defend home court. Since those types of efforts have been few and far between, my monies on New York to put this away by the 4th; Knicks by 13.

Let’s go back to late in the first quarter in Charlotte. This is before the disastrous 38-14 third quarter in which Toronto committed 13 fouls, 10 turnovers and let Charlotte shoot 80 percent. It’s before Jerryd Bayless scored 14 in the final frame to make a game of it. 44 seconds left in the first, the Raptors are up by seven. On a set play, Ed Davis receives a pass from Gary Forbes at the left elbow. DeMar DeRozan gets a step on Reggie Williams, cutting baseline from the corner, and it’s over. Bounce pass, hammer dunk.

On the Toronto broadcast, Leo Rautins raved about DeRozan’s timing. While it looked like an easy play (and, given that Bismack Biyombo was occupied with Amir Johnson at the right elbow, the finish certainly was easy), making reads and cuts is just as important as having the necessary skills to score in the NBA.

I jumped when DeRozan smashed it because it was a sweet play and I love those kind of assists from big men. It was also unexpected. Davis isn’t selfish, nor a black hole, but he only has 38 assists on the year and is almost never asked to be a playmaker. His four assists last night were a career high. No one questions Davis’ talent; his finishing ability and his shotblocking made you think he was a great NBA prospect from day one at UNC. Same goes for DeRozan — he was a project when drafted in 2009, yet seemed like the obvious choice at No. 9 for a team in need of a shooting guard. The question is if they can harness this talent, work effectively with the rest of Toronto’s core, and make the Raptors a serious threat two or three years from now.

For some, Davis and DeRozan haven’t lived up to expectations this season. Their numbers are down, even factoring in the uptick in DeRozan’s scoring over the past six weeks. But they’re not supposed to be finished products yet, so we shouldn’t be talking about them with doom and gloom. Development takes time. Adjusting to a new system takes time. Doing so with your star on the bench most of the time doesn’t help. Part of getting better is playing smarter and building chemistry. If you’re looking for reasons to be optimistic, they’re there below the surface. It’s alright if it takes a fancy dunk to get your attention.

Read an interesting trade scenario on ESPN (Insider required) with Garnett going to Denver for Afflalo, Miller and Mozgov; good trade personally. Why hasn’t Ainge began breaking up the big three, and getting picks/prospects for them while he can?

Ryan: There are a few reasons nothing has happened yet. Part of it is that teams are still evaluating what they need and part of it is that you nail the expected return: picks and prospects. That’s a serious bounty and Boston’s early performance has done little to strengthen Ainge’s negotiating position. Now that Paul Pierce has returned to all-star form, Ainge has more to work with, but there’s no guarantee he’ll get an offer he considers palatable. It’s possible Boston will ride out the season as is.

Alt: I’ve hated Ainge my whole life. Hated him as a Blue Jay and as soon as he became a Celtic, well, it was all over. So, in short, he hasn’t moved on anything because he can’t cross a street without calling someone for help. Much like when we traded Carter, Danny knows that what he gets in return for any of these guys will show what kind of a gunslinger he is. The fact he was willing to part with Rondo before any of these guys tells you something. He will make a move closer to the deadline, especially as the Sixers get further and further ahead of them. You’ll see a desperate perennial playoff team give up some good picks and current talent for one of the two. Pierce is untouchable.

James: Ainge has directly said that he would break this team up if he received a good enough offer. Who’s going after these guys, though? You’re only taking one of them if you’re a contender, and what contender has spare young players that would actually help the Celtics? Maybe some team would like to shed salary for Garnett’s $21 million expiring contract, but would Boston want a bunch of overpaid guys? Would Ainge want Joe Johnson? I doubt it.

Can the Celtics, as presently constructed, still win a championship?

Ryan: Their offense is on the wrong side of mediocre and their rebounding is bottom third in the league. Those two factors guarantee an early round exit come playoff time. Add the team’s collective age and inclination to injury and it’s all over unless you really want to delve deep into “everything goes right” scenarios. Those haven’t been hallmarks of the last few years in Boston.

Alt: If they were able to pull out series wins in 4-5 games, yes. They would get a breather between sets (presumably) and it gives their coaching staff time to get them working on the possible next opponent. Give that time to an Allen, a Garnett, a Rondo, then you have a shot. The real hitch is beating the West in the final. Good luck with that.

James: Can they? Yeah. In the same way that Portland or Denver can if a lot of things go their way. The Celtics are not contenders, barring a major injury elsewhere. They’ll be better come playoff time and we shouldn’t forget how bad they looked during some parts of 2009-2010 before making it to the Finals, but as constructed they are not in the same class as Miami, Chicago, and Oklahoma City.

Ryan: Feels like it could be a rough one after Kleiza smacked down Rondo last time. But I don’t think it will be a close one if the Celtics are interested in playing defense (sometimes they’re not) and moving the ball on offense, like they did against the Cavs last night.

Alt: Casey has these guys playing scrappy. You throw Scarborough out there to lay some shoulders and I envision some chippiness. If it’s a close game you know they will zero in on Jose’s touchiness and, especially without Andrea playing cold hand Luke, he could fall for it. That’s okay, though…we have Kleiza who has taken the role of the NBA’s version of a viper.

James: I just watched the Raptors get blown out by the Hawks at home and it wasn’t for a lack of effort. They’ll fight, but without Bargnani they’re going to struggle to put points up against this Boston defense. It all depends on if Toronto can contain Pierce, the Celtics’ primary creator in the absence of Rajon Rondo — if it’s a blowout, it’s not a bar fight.

Injuries

Match-ups

Point Guard
I’m really liking the effort Bayless has been putting up since his return from injury; what helps most is he’s protecting the ball much better. Calderon’s been consistent. I realize he’s been starting at the 2 the last two games, but I just don’t see DeRozan covering Paul Pierce and James Johnson taking on Kevin Garnett. So with Rondo out (probably out), Bayless will be backing up Calderon and playing some shooting guard in relief of DeRozan while Colangelo sorts out a trade for Barbosa.Edge: Raptors

Shooting Guard
I took a lot of heat when I said DeRozan’s game against the Nets wasn’t that great (especially getting to the foul line 16 times against a D-league level team). When you such dramatic swings from game-to-game, you don’t get love from this corner of the interwebs when you make a pretty against a weak-ass team. Head-to-head against Ray Allen, DeRozan’s been mediocre for a few seasons, I’m not saying Ray-Ray is going to drop 30, but he will do 15-20; mix that with DeRozan’s love affair with the jumper and Boston’s defensive resurgence (4th in defensive efficiency)…it’s going to be a long night for the prodigal son.Edge: Celtics

Small Forward
Paul Pierce may be old, but his game was never dependant on his athleticism; it’s that slow-motion first step that’s killer. JJ and Kleiza have been playing nice, but if their combined production matches Pierce’s, I’ll be surprised.Edge: Celtics

Power Forward
I’d like to see Amir or Magloire nail Garnett in the face with an elbow tonight, then have Calderon bark in his ear about it. This would be a win for me.Edge: Celtics

Center
All my match-up assumptions were based on the Raptors not going small ball because of the bad mis-matches at the 2 and 3 if they do. Maybe they go that route, in which case half of what I’ll be watching the Chicago/Philly game (I’ll be watching that game anyways, Love D-Rose), but maybe they try and match-up a bit smarter, and not let Allen and Pierce take it easy on the bench in the 2nd half because they built up a 20 point 1st half lead.Edge: Even, but who really cares

Keys to the Game

Ball movement: the Celtics are a damn good defensive team, but they are old. The Raptors need to make them work on the defensive end of the court and really attack the paint; Garnett and O’Neal aren’t what they used to be. Don’t settle for jumpers!

Tight defensive rotations: with Rondo out, the Celtics don’t have a guy who can consistently break down the defense and create for the rest of the team. Can’t give Allen and Pierce open looks from the perimeter (the Raptors have done a great job of allowing this this season) or they will kill us; I can’t stress this enough.

Get into Garnett’s head: this wont win us the game, but I want to see someone mess the SOB a bit…hate him…

The Line

There’s no line at time of publishing, but I’ll go ahead and put a line in the sand: Celtics by 13.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/02/01/gameday-raptors-vs-celtics-feb-112/feed/14Raptors win without Bargnani for the 1st time this seasonhttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/01/30/raptors-win-without-bargnani-for-the-1st-time-this-season/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/01/30/raptors-win-without-bargnani-for-the-1st-time-this-season/#respondMon, 30 Jan 2012 12:10:24 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=28164The Raptors tie the season series with the Nets at 1-1 and Alabi chipped in a block; the circle is complete.

The Raptors finally broke out of their 0-for-showing with Bargnani injured this season, and got a win with the franchise on the sidelines. Individual plays and levels of effort aside, you have to appreciate this one; the Raptors never lost a quarter, and dictated the flow and tempo throughout. In fact, had it not been for early solid free-throw shooting in the first half, and some above average offensive rebounding by the Nets, this would have been one of those games where a Nets blogger’s post-game would have been a picture of tightly curled turd on the Nets logo.

An aside to the win, the Raptors managed 94 points without Bargnani and Barbosa. Granted some of that has to do with Jersey’s lack of…everything, but the Raptors did as good a good as job as possible with defensive rotations and assignments that you could expect. I mean, Deron Williams dropped 24 points, but it took him 20 shots (3-10 3FG), and some heroic off the ball movement to get good looks at the rim.

Case in point, in the 2nd quarter, Williams started at the top of the arc, ran around the low block, brushed past two low screens, came around to the top of the arc, caught and shot the ball with Bayless on his ass. He hit the three (without as much space as you’d think), but the point is he wasn’t blowing by pylons to get his baskets. He’s the type of player that can make those kind of plays happen, the rest of the team couldn’t and caved to the Raptor defense.

I like Calderon and Bayless starting in the back-court together. As much as Bayless offends me with his decision making, when he doesn’t have to be the floor general, he makes things happen. He also takes pressure off Jose to cover the likes of Deron Williams. I’d like to explore a lineup of Calderon, Bayless, JJ, Bargnani and Amir with DeRozan, Kleiza and Davis as the first three off the bench for a few games. Bayless attacks the paint off the bounce as much as possible, something DeRozan and his new-found love for the jumper should be doing. It gives a bit more balance, which takes me to DeMar…

…I wasn’t that impressed with DeRozan’s game last night. Sure, 27pts on 8-12FG 11-16FT looks great on the boxscore, but it didn’t sit right with me. Three times in the first half, DeRozan pulled up on the break and popped (missed) a jumper when he could have made a move to the basket and either converted or drew a foul. His 27 should have been at least 30. The second problem I had was 17 of 27 came in the second half with the Nets thinking about dinner and watching Californication.

The saving grace of his second half “dominance” was that he got to the line 12 times and hit 9 of them. Had they all been jumpers, I guarantee we would have been watching him shoot jumpers at an even more alarming rate for the rest of the season. Not sure if it’s just me or is his development looking a bit like VC’s? He doesn’t have the same finish Carter had at this stage of his career, but we watched VC go from a guy who wanted to break the backboard, to the POS jump shooter he became. I’m way to lazy to pull stats on this (maybe Liston can put something for statophile), but I’ve noticed myself sighing with more regularity that he’s shooting instead of driving. I can live with the shooting if it continues to improve, but only if he gets to the line more; 4 times a game is half of what of what he should be doing.

]]>http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/01/30/raptors-win-without-bargnani-for-the-1st-time-this-season/feed/0Bargnani stops the bleeding; the rest are nowhere to be foundhttp://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/01/25/bargnani-stops-the-bleeding-the-rest-are-nowhere-to-be-found/
http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2012/01/25/bargnani-stops-the-bleeding-the-rest-are-nowhere-to-be-found/#commentsWed, 25 Jan 2012 14:31:07 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=28076Raptors stop 8 game losing streak with a gritty (read Bargnani put them on his back and carried them) win over Phoenix

Obviously others chipped in and contributed…just that the headline was perfect and I didn’t want to change it: Calderon moved the ball around aside from a couple retarded passes, but the defense wasn’t there; Barbosa did DeRozan’s job and scored the ball; Kleiza did Amir’s and Davis’ job and grabbed rebounds off the bench; and James Johnson’s double-double was so natural it makes you want to choke him out on nights he puts up crap.

I have nothing positive to say about this game. It took 42 minutes from Bargnani, after missing six games, to win this one. 42 MINUTES! You have to assume he still isn’t 100% since that’s how the pro’s work. Amir and Ed played so terrible that Casey couldn’t spare more than 6 minutes at the power forward. Think about what that means for a minute; guys that were considered core members of the future could only give an injured man, who missed six straight games with injury, 6 minutes of relief against the one of the few teams in the league I wouldn’t trade the Raptors straight up for.

That last notion is a conversation I’ve been having with a lot of folks over the last few days: if you were to compare the Raptors to every other team in the league as currently constructed, you’d be hard-pressed not to like the other squad*. In this instance, the Suns have the best player of the two teams, Steve Nash, but he’s old and dreaming of finishing his career in New York. If he still had a year or two left on his contract, you could make the case that it would be better to rebuild around him…I really want to know what people think of this, put it in the comments.

One thing I did like was the starting lineup, not that they played very long together, but Gray and Bargnani lining up together is more formidable than anything else we can muster. Next step is to insert Barbosa into the starting five, and make DeRozan the first wing off the bench; could be what he needs…in Utah tonight, pre-game up soon.

* Of the ten worst teams in the league, a case could be made that only Charlotte and Detroit are worse off than the Raptors

I’ve always hated winning and losing in bunches; change needs to be balanced with consistency. Just like that, the team is 4-9 with 8 of the next 10 coming on the road. This team needs Bargnani and Bayless back at full capacity as soon as possible before it gets offensively ugly.

After that solid playoff run, and the hot start to the year, does losing Horford write-off the rest of the year; even if he gets back for the playoffs? Also, what’s the plan now, Zaza/trade?
Even without Horford, the Hawks should make the playoffs. His absence definitely diminishes the team’s chances of advancing in the post-season, but the team’s upside with Horford was the probably the second-round, yet again, anyway. His injury would have a had greater impact for a more ambitious, less risk-averse team.

I expect Zaza Pachulia will start (except when the Hawks play the Magic) and primarily split time at center with the undersized Ivan Johnson. Josh Smith might get some time as a nominal five in small lineups. It might work since Marvin Williams and Tracy McGrady (when healthy) are good rebounders for small forwards. If there’s a trade to be made, say Kirk Hinrich for a big man, the Hawks will surely consider it, but they might just as well off keeping Hinrich and doubling-down on perimeter defense.

McGrady’s renaissance has been a pleasant surprise after being brought in to replace some of the lost production from Crawford’s departure. He’s injured now, but can you see him being an important contributor to a team that can make deep playoff appearances?
McGrady was great for most of the first seven games but he’s already missed or been unable to contribute in six straight games since then. The Hawks can’t count on him every night, but he’s a difference-maker when healthy. They should do everything possible to have him available for the playoffs, regular season results be damned.

Are you guys regretting giving Joe Johnson that contract? Seems to me $20m should be able to buy you more than 18pts 4reb 4ast 16PER; is he an amnesty candidate if the Hawks aren’t contenders by next season?
Unfortunately, the only people who didn’t feel anticipatory regret for the Joe Johnson contract were those with the power to hand it to him. The organization has always overrated him on both ends of the floor and compounded that by assuming he’s not going to age. On the other hand, the amount the team has invested in Johnson ($75 million contract, $124 million contract, two first-round picks, Boris Diaw) has, at times, obscured that he’s been a pretty good player with the Hawks, even if he’ll do well to be an above-average player over the length of his current contract.

Injuries

Toronto
Aaron Gray
Jerryd Bayless
James Johnson
Andrea Bargnani

Atlanta
Al Horford
Tracy McGrady
Marvin Williams

Match-ups

Point Guard
You might be able to excuse Calderon’s performance against Rose all things considered. At least he somehow managed 8 assists. The Hawks don’t have the firepower at the point the Bulls do, but they are fairly deep; Kirk Hinrich is their 4th string quarterback. There is nothing about Jeff Teague, Jannero Pargo, some guy named Donald Sloan and Hinrich can do to scare me, but the Raptors are thin at the one. That said, the Hawks are great at sharing the ball, even with Josh Smith in the lineup, and that starts with the point.Edge: Even

Shooting Guard
Joe Johnson is one of my man-crushes in the league, and even though he’s not producing anywhere close to what a $20m/year guy should be producing, he’s heads and shoulders better than DeRozan. He’s one of those guys who’s good at everything really. He defends, scores from all over the floor, rebounds, shares the ball and plays heavy minutes. To make matters worse for DeMar, who didn’t get to the foul line against the Bulls on Saturday, is that JJ wont be bailing him out with cheap fouls, since he has a low foul rate.Edge: Atl

Small Forward
With Kleiza in the lineup, and if guys play within themselves, there’s no reason why the Raptors can’t be ok-to-good at the small forward. It all comes down to Butler and Johnson listening to me and not shooting the ball just because they have the room to let loose. The Hawks are great at the 3 either, but they are fairly deep with veteran savvy. Stackhouse is still alive and reasonably useful, while Radmanovic has found a home…doesn’t matter really…Edge: Even

Power Forward
Looks like Bargnani is still out, which basically writes the game off. I find myself hoping the Raptors go small ball, and give Kleiza and Johnson (can’t believe I’m saying this) the bulk of the minutes at the four if Andrea can’t go. Davis needs Anthony Robbins or something…not sure, but what I do know is that Josh Smith will make him humble if he doesn’t come correct.Edge: Atl

Center
The only exciting aspect of this match-up is being able to say Zaza with some flare. Amir/Magloire can probably keep their heads up in this one, but it doesn’t matter. The Raptors caught a break with Horford going down for 3-4 months with an injury, otherwise this would have gotten ugly, fast.Edge: Even

Keys to the Game

Get to the foul line; as a team on Saturday against the Bulls, the Raptors went to the foul line seven times (made 1 of them); no wonder they were only able to muster 64 points. The Hawks have a few good defenders, so you have to get as many easy/cheap points as possible

Perimeter defense; the Hawks like to throw the ball around and stick jumpers. It kills them in the playoffs, but wins them games in the regular season. The Raptors have done a great job of giving teams nice looks from the perimeter; seems like a match made in heaven. need to tighten things up

Let Josh Smith shoot as much as he wants

The Line

The Hawks are at home and haven’t lost to the Raptors in over two years; there’s a reason they are 11 point favourites.

]]>The “first of three in a row…first of a back to back to back….they play tomorrow and the night after….they don’t have a night off in 3 days…..”edition:

Barbosa: for one night at least, he was back to the Barbosa we need. Crisp passes, getting to the line (where he was a perfect 9/9), active hands on defense…it was good to see.

Bargnani: this is verging on redunkulous. His game is almost written by a Hollywood script night in and night out: get pushed around, ignore it, give up taking a 3 to get a high percentage shot, have one reverse, pull one never-seen-by-him-before defensive move out of nowhere, make your critics eat crow. He got off 25 shots and 9 free throws in 45 minutes of action and he looked like he would go full throttle in OT if needed. Incredible.

Butler: I’ll give $20 to the first person to take a picture of his vehicle’s gas cap opening because I’m sure it is surrounded by gashes from the nozzle. This guy just can’t find a hole and fill it. How he has escaped the boo birds by the local fans is mindblowing. 0 for 5 from deep and every time he hoisted you almost knew it wasn’t going in. Embarrassing.

Calderon: I can’t be the only one who was terrified to see what Jose would do tonight. Going up against Rubio with at least a few thousand more Spaniards watching online than there were Canadians at the ACC tonight, the proud Calderon was bound to be wound up more than Liston at a new release of Microsoft Excel. Happy to say, though, that this is an older/wiser/freshly shorn Calderon and he passed with a solid B. He held Rubio in check and refused to be on the bad part of a highlight reel.

Carter: sweet momma….7 minutes, –17, no points, no assists, 2 fouls. If you had given him a jar of pickles to open tonight, I’d put my money on the jar.

Davis: I’m not going to say that, one again, I’m disappointed in Davis’ game and he underperformed against a team that he should do better against. i will say that I am less disappointed in my dog who ate my roast beef dinner and drank 2 bottles of my Carlsberg then went to the bathroom on my newly purchased area rug. The excuses are running out for Davis and soon one has to wonder if Solomon was actually the most deserving of being sent to the DLeague.

DeRozan: he once again made an attempt to redeem himself late in the game but as was deftly pointed out by Mr. Armstrong, we need more out of a guy who represented the team at Allstar weekend and is constantly referred to as our future. There are times he seems disinterested.

A. Johnson: I know the season is just underway, but if there was ever a game to show the change in Amir, this was it. 30 minutes, with the majority coming against Kevin Love, almost a double double at the half, 7/9 from the floor, 5/6 from the line. Last year he would have been saddled with 3 fouls in 4 minutes and then pick up a quick 2 in the second. This year all he did was make Love look like he’d met his match. Phenomenal game.

J.Johnson: James didn’t fare as well against Love. Heck, he lasted one possession at one point where he came in for Amir, he fouled love in a few seconds and Casey swapped Amir back in immediately. Just like DeMar, he saved his soul in the 4th with 2 wonderful blocks that set the tone for the Raptors to finish the game. I have no doubt that he’ll be punished by watching a lot of video tomorrow, but that’s well deserved. We still need him playing like he did in game 1.

Barbosa: so is buddy auditioning to be a Sleep-eze spokesman or what? It’s like his pregame meal now is turkey and milk. No spark, no excitement, no point being on the floor.

Bargnani: still not as active on the boards as Casey had hoped but for a guy who used to take 3 pointers about as often as a 15 year old looks at porn on the internet (or RapsFan, lets be honest) he continues to put it away and zip it up when it comes from launching the long ball. Only 1 attempt tonight in a game that last year would have seen him take no less that…hmmm….42.

Butler: another night where my television can breathe easy and not feel the wrath of my collection of Scotch bottles. The human groan was one of only 4 Raptors to score in double digits, he dug his heels in defensively, and he didn’t feel the yank of Casey’s cane. Pop some bottles.

Calderon: one has to question why Jose takes the most shots on the floor during any game, but the answer is easily found by looking at the final score…and the stat line of the man he covers. Williams came back to the floor tonight and wiped it with Jose’s jersey that he ripped from him as he spun him around like a dradle. In fairness, Jose did his best to keep up and match him, but that’s like saying Kris Humphries was suitable competition for Reggie Bush in the bed of Kim.

Carter: speaking of Hump, Anthony almost found himself as a tattoo on Kris’ elbow at one point and had Magloire come to his aid. Still don’t mind this guy. Love how he spreads the floor and runs plays as opposed to flashing signs for a Burkie Dog and a soda like Jose does. 4 points, 4 boards, 3 assists in 12 minutes.

Davis: I’m gonna have Liston run the numbers, but I’m sure Eddy has the lowest shooting percentage from within 1.5 feet of the hoop. On a shot chart that is to scale, you can’t see his misses because the dots are covered by the damn hoop. It’s a shame too, because you could basically see the confidence coming back tonight. He did everything except let out a roar that shook Brampton. 11pts, 8 rebs and finally a night he can call home and not feel like he needs a hug.

DeRozan: his game tonight reminded me of the time where it took me 90 minutes to go from Yonge and Sheppard to Union Station on public transit. You swipe your metropass, you get on the subway, you are happy after downing a few pints and wings with your buddies, then the great spirit above decides that another game of Grand Theft Auto just isn’t fun, so he decides to reach down and mess with your aura. If the Raptor mascot was standing on a ladder above the rim waiting to guide the ball in, DeMar would have hit the shot clock tonight. Just an off night for TMZ.

G. Forbes: I feel for Casey. Forbes is far enough down the bench that you look at him and you second guess yourself. Example: you had a lovely evening with your lover. You both get a few hours sleep, but you wake up and you feel some…stirring. Your lover wakes and it’s on. Then it hits you. You only had one condom and it’s lying on the floor next to the bed, used in your jump off earlier. Do you reach down and cover your Gary with the Forbes or……??

A. Johnson: I’m a believer. He has completely changed my opinion of him in a short period of time. That block in the first half, his hustle all night, his continuing ability to keep his fouls in check, all impressive to his ultimate doubter. I think the faith that he has been shown by the coaching staff this year has gone a long way to improve his game and bring him to the floor as a professional as opposed to a wannabe twitter celebrity. Kudos.

J.Johnson: another enjoyable game. He was finding teammates with crisp passes, he was in the ears of the Nets, he was seen salting popcorn at halftime.As much as Rasual is as worthy as being in the starting five as much as I’m worthy of being featured in a swimsuit calendar, I’ve come to enjoy watching James come out as the leader of the second unit.

Magloire: he picked up 2 fouls so quickly I automatically blurted out “WTF PRIMOZ????”. When my acid reflux settled down (great commercial space timing, using that product as a sponsor for Raptors games) I comforted myself by realizing I wouldn’t have to see Big Mouse for most of the game tonight. I do applaud him for backing up AC, though. That was some true gangsta stuff right thurr.

Barbosa: he hit one shot all night and it was one that went so high that God caught the ball, wiped it off with a towel, spun it on his finger, all while whistling Sweet Georgia Brown. Then Chuck Daly told him he had to give it back, which he did by letting it fall through the hoop without touching rim. God celebrated and so did about 7000 at the ACC tonight.

Bargnani: okay, this is getting out of control. He smiled tonight. No, really. A smile and a laugh. On the court. At ACC. Ready for more?? It seemed genuine. This really could be the end of the world. Life insurance offices will be overrun tomorrow. 31 and 7 and it seemed effortless.

Butler: someone BBM’d me tonight asking if I felt the tremor. I merely responded that I was at the Raptors game and it was no earthquake, it was just Rasual crashing back down to earth. Didn’t hit a shot all night and kept trying from downtown even though it was apparent to everybody that Monday’s game was a flash in the pan. Nice to have Kapono back.

Calderon: Kyrie Kryptonite. Irving made it to the line and sunk his shots, but from the field he was held down like a 10 year old on his birthday getting the paddywhacks. Another double double for Spanish Fly with 13pts and 11 assists. Not to be lost in all this: the evident disappearance of the handclap defense.

Carter: the one downside of Jose playing so well is less floor time for AC. I know he doesn’t have a ton of fans here, but I still think it’s important to get him out there to have him get familiar with the squad. This month’s schedule with Bayless out for a bit will require some time from the deep bench and someone with his pedigree is important to keep fresh.

Davis: good work, young fella. Sure it came against a team that we should beat on the second night of a back to back that looked disinterested from the start, but hopefully it’s a seed planted. Early on it looked like a repeat of every other game, but he stepped it up in the second half and made a team on their heels pay for their disinterest.

DeRozan: lawdy lawdy lawdy, TMZ has been reborn and he is proving that he can be a great piece to this team. He was feeling it from deep and he kept reloading and ended up taking 8 shots from downtown, hitting 5. It was ideal DeMar: have fun, play hard, hit shots, defend well, smile. Question for you, though: if it was an opposing player that pseudo-celebrated in front of the Raptors bench the way he did in front of the Cavs, would you be calling for his head?

G. Forbes: you are put in with 2 minutes left, you come in, hit a nice shot then come back down on the next possession, don’t pass the ball and put one up that probably cost you more bench time. Not a wise move. At all.

A. Johnson: not a lot on the stat sheet for him to be proud of, but he was laying lumber almost every minute he was on the floor. I don’t think there was one Cavs player that saw action that didn’t get some Amir sweat on him. He’s the kind of guy that can be used to deflate a tired opponent and he did exactly that tonight.

J.Johnson: ever since he ditched the hair and the headband he has played like he actually cares. He was jumping around like he heard there were pieces of gold on the rim all night, just too bad he felt he would double up if he took silly shots. Still, for a team like this, we need to learn to accept 50% effort as a B+ effort. Tonight he earned a solid B+.

Magloire: wasn’t a spectacular night for anybody from Toronto. Jamaal put in an effort that Hedo would be proud of. Inconsequential against a team that he should have had a great night going up against.

The Cavs are 3-2, and the Raptors should be 3-2; this is going to be an interesting season to say the least. The other night I had a thought that really made me uncomfortable; what if the Raptors win more games than they should? There are already lots of interesting themes developing (insider required). Couple that with the number of absolutely brutal teams there are in the east, and the solid effort being turned in so far game after game, and you could make the case that the Raptors could surprise and over achieve this season; jeopardizing their lottery status in the summer.

I know there are positives to both sides of this coin, but I’d rather grab at least one more solid draft pick, then try to make a run at things; need as many horses as you can get.

The Cavs frontcourt kept them in the game against the Raptors on opening night, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds, but an even attack from the Raptors spurred by ball movement (35 assists) and solid defensive rotations were more than they could handle.

Match-ups

Point Guard
Irving showed signs of promise, but he’s just not ready to be handed the reigns just yet. Sessions hurt the Raptors with his dribble penetration and three point shooting; nothing from mid-range. Calderon needs to close-out on him faster, and force him into a waiting defender. Same thing with Gibson, except I’d he’s less of a threat to get to the rack. Bayless will be a game-time decision, but the Raptors could use some of his off the bounce attack to mix things up and keep the Cavs defense guessing. Anthony Carter will be counted on to provide spurts of solid relief. I’m the first to admit I was wrong about his effectiveness; a couple minutes here and there is doable for the guy.Edge: Raptors

Shooting Guard
Every Time DeRozan took the ball to the rim, he either scored or got put on the line. The Cavs don’t have the shot blocking ability to challenge DeMar when he gets to the rim. He has to keep on attacking Anthony Parker, who just doesn’t have the foot speed to keep up. Barbosa will do the same to Gibson, who I can’t recall doing anything of value in the first game.Edge: Raptors

Small Forward
Butler and Johnson did a good job of keeping Casspi off the board, and he hasn’t done much this season since, but some guy named Alonzo Gee stepped up for the Cavs. With the performances that Butler has turned in the last games, the small forward spot is stabilizing some. As long as whoever is manning the 3-spot puts defense first, and tries to avoid taking retarded shots, the Raptors should do well.Edge: Even

Power Forward
A repeat performance from Jamison would go a long way tonight; Bargnani and Davis kept Antawn to 6-20 shooting from the field. Bargnani couldn’t find his shot last week against the Cavs, but has since remedied that. With him going to the rack as often as he’s popping jumpers, he will be putting a lot of pressure on the Cavs frontcourt to step-up. The Raptors would have the frontcourt locked if Ed Davis would just come back. Since his solid performance against the Cavs last week, the sophomore has all but vanished. He could find his game tonight against the only team he’s played well against this season; I hope anyways. It was great to see Tristan Thompson play well, and he’s done a pretty good job so far considering, but the Cavs overstepped in taking him 4th with Valanciunas and Vesely on the board.Edge: Raptors

Center
I foolishly didn’t give the Cavs the edge at center last game, and was proved wrong. Varejao still has a great deal to offer, putting up 14pts 10rebs (7 offensive) almost single handedly keeping the Cavs hanging around and in the game. Things have looked downhill for Amir since the first two games of the season, and there wasn’t much there for Magloire to begin with. Varejao will do his best to keep them in the game, but the Cavs have less talent than the Raptors.Edge: Cavaliers

The Line

The gamblers have the Raptors as 4 point favourites, with an over/under of 190. The Cavs and Raptors have found themselves to be in an interesting situation so far this season. Both are doing better than expected, and playing hard. The Cavs took advantage of an easier schedule, beating the Pistons, Nets and Bobcats. The Raptors on the other hand should be 3-2 heading into tonight’s game. Bet the line; Raptors win 92-86.